’Blade gang’ strikes again

Bike-borne assailants attack two women with sharp-edged weapons in Mangolpuri area

'Blade gang' strikes again

Bike-borne assailants attack two women with sharp-edged weapons in Mangolpuri area

Unidentified bike-borne assailants attacked two young women with sharp-edged weapons in Mangolpuri area on Sunday night.

Representative pic

According to the police, the incidents occurred in different blocks of Mangolpuri in quick succession at around 8 pm. The victims were injured in the face and neck and were undergoing treatment in Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

Though police have detained some suspects, the incidents have createdu00a0 a scare among the women living in the area. There is a fear thatu00a0 the attacks are the handiwork of the members of infamous 'blade gang' who had been involved in eight cases of attacking women with blades and other sharp-edged weaponsu00a0 in Mangolpuri area alone last year.

Police say the assailants often strike near Avantika Chowk, Y, J K Block and the road leading to Mangolpuri canal mostly between 7 and 9 PM. "They zero in on women walking alone, attack them with blades and other sharp-edged weapons and ride away. The victims are often left in a state of shock due to which they are not even able to note down the registration number of the bikes," sources said.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0

According to police source, more than 200 registered bad characters are active in Mangolpuri area and many of them are suspected to be members ofu00a0 this 'blade gang'. Senior police officialu00a0 said that the patrolling in the area was increased after the incidents were reported.

"Preliminary investigation suggests that the assailant did not want to rob the women. In a few cases, the assailants used surgical blades causing sharp injuries on the victim. In several other cases, the victims were attacked with a blunt object and in a recent case, assailants injured the girl with nail filer," said a senior police official.

On December 6 last year, police arrested two alleged attackers, Vishal and Rohit for attacking women with blades. Police said the duo had been involved in five such cases.

Other gangs?

Last month Delhi Police arrested four peopleu00a0 who used surgical blades to slash victims if they resisted. The gang also attacked victims with blades and knives if the victims did not carry enough money.
Police said one motorcycle, four surgical blades and cash amounting to Rs 1,51,000 were been recovered from them. With their arrest, several cases of robbery and snatching reported from Rani Bagh, Saraswati Vihar, Keshav Puram, Bharat Nagar and Ashok Vihar police stations have been worked out. However, their link with the recent attacks on women in Mangolpuri could not been established.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels